John,
who tabled at the Richmond Vegetarian Festival on June 15, writes:

It was a great event and I appreciate the chance to be involved
with outreach for CVA both as a means to talk to people of faith about
a vegetarian diet and also talk to vegetarians about faith. Many
other exhibitors, such as PETA, thanked CVA for being there. I met
several people who were clearly on fire for God which was a humbling
blessing.

As discussed last week,
institutions can be vehicles for communal efforts that can do much
good. However, there are inherent problems with institutions, which
can steer the best of institutions off course.

1. The problem
of leadership. All institutions require administration by humans, and
even the most caring and compassionate people have hopes, fears, and
desires (many of which we are unaware of) that can undermine the work.
For example, is the plan to expand the physical plant a thoughtful
decision based on clear need, or does it largely reflect a leader’s
desire to having a lasting tribute to that leader’s governance? Is the
opposition to another person’s plan due to problems with that plan, or
to dislike of that person?

2. The problem of succession. There
is no perfect, and perhaps not even a good, formula to make sure that
the lofty goals of those who founded a given institution will be
shared by those who become subsequent leaders.

3. The problem
of resources. Once an institution obtains things of value, such as a
building or an endowment, there will be people vying to control those
resources. Their aims may not be avaricious or otherwise malevolent,
but they will often care deeply about how those resources are used and
find themselves in bitter conflict with those who have different
ideas. This is particularly true among people whose gifts of money,
time, or effort have helped the institution to thrive.

Next
week, I will offer a Girardian perspective on how institutions relate
to the scapegoating process.